Pond Blog

Average cost of a Oklahoma City pond clean out

Every year here in the Oklahoma City metro area we at Continental Ponds get hundreds of call for, "How much does a koi pond clean out cost?" This blog will address that question as well as all the variables that affect clean out costs. This will allow you to make an educated decision on who you should call for your pond cleaning!

The cost of a Oklahoma City koi Pond clean out can vary like any other service item. Variables, like length of time between clean outs, amount of fish, location to deciduous trees, netting options, and many other factors can alter the pricing of this vital service. Listed below are some starting prices to have a Koi Pond cleaned out. See below for information about additional services and charges.

Cost of a Koi Pond Clean Out by Size

8 x 11 pond clean out cost - $650

11 x 16 pond clean out cost - $850

16 x 16 pond clean out cost - $1400

16 x 21 pond clean out cost - $1800

As discussed before many factors determine the price of a pond clean out.The type of filtration in your pond, the depth and the length of your stream play a part in the cost. Do you have a bog, negative edge, wet well or wetland filtration? If so, these variables can impact the price due to the extra labor it may take to perform a thorough system-wide clean out.

Has your Oklahoma City Koi Pond been cleaned out in the past 1-2 years? Do you have deciduous trees near your pond? Have you netted your pond during the fall season? Do you have easy access to your pond, or are there obstacles that make the pond clean out more difficult; like a steep slope? The amount of plants you have in your pond can make a huge difference in the cost of a clean out. Too many plants can reduce the flow of waterways and cause extra sediment to build up on the floor of the pond. These plants have roots systems that can become deeply embedded in the pond bottom. Plants can be divided during a pond clean out; the cost is typically $50 a plant. Once we had a Koi Pond clean out that had a root system that covered the entire bottom of the pond and wrapped around the rocks. In this case, it took most of the day just to remove the roots and an additional day to do the pond clean-out. This was a Oklahoma City Koi Pond that hadn’t been cleaned out in many years.

A few things to consider before hiring someone to clean out your pond.

The term “pond clean out” is often used very loosely. There are obviously different levels of cleaning, as well as a variety of construction techniques that can make a water feature easier, or more difficult to clean and maintain. A “clean out” could be considered physically removing the leaves and debris and cleaning out the pond filters. Another type of clean out could be simply vacuuming leaves out of an exposed-liner pond and rinsing out the filter pads. Here at Continental Ponds our preferred method of cleaning ponds is what we refer to as a complete cleaning and component inspection. This service is normally done in the spring. We would be happy to send you our list of procedures for this service but for now I want to focus on expense related concerns and not so much on methodology.

A large factor to consider in the cost of your pond cleaning is the company you are hiring. Most Oklahoma City lawn & landscape company will typically be less expensive than bringing in a company that specializes in water features. Retaining trained professionals (specialists) in a given field of expertise is much more costly than hiring general laborers. Our team members are taught about fish care and diseases, plants, plumbing, filtration, etc. by industry experts. This investment in personnel definitely raises the cost of our service and may or may not be a value to you. We have seen local landscape companies do pond cleaning for as little as $350.00. I’m not vouching for the quality of the service delivered, only the price. At Continental Ponds, our starting price for a complete spring cleaning and component inspection starts at $650.00.

​Another consideration that may be important to you is sanitation. Does a company sanitize equipment between cleanings? This is a big deal to some people! If you have koi or other fish in your pond you should think about this. Some clean out crews (ours included) clean multiple ponds each day in the spring time. Pond diseases, bacteria, and parasites can easily be transported from one pond to the next inside the holding tanks, pumps, and plumbing used to complete a clean out. Early in the year, when the water temperature is cool and the fish have slower metabolism it is the perfect time for problems to occur due to inadequate sanitation practices. Something to think about if you have fish you love!

You may also consider professionalism an important factor in choosing your service company. One guy/gal in a pickup with a hose, a pump, and a 5 gallon bucket may take a few days to clean your pond. The alternative is that a professional team of trained technicians shows up and has all the proper tools to do a fast-efficient clean out. Koi tanks that hold hundreds of gallons of water are set up, the team goes into action, pond is clean and fish are returned unscathed to their habitat in rapid fashion. The experience delivered by a professional team may or may not be an important factor to you.

The remaining variables in clean out cost are related to methodology (how well the pond is cleaned), the size of the feature, and other business related variables. With the information we have provided above you should be educated enough to make an informed decision on who you should hire to clean your koi pond.

If you have any other questions on the price of a clean out, what we do when we clean a pond out or any other questions please contact us here.

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Tim Trammell has been building, designing, servicing and maintaining pond in the Oklahoma City Metro area for over 20 years. His company Continental Ponds, is Oklahoma's first Master Certified Aquascape Contractor and is an national award winning pond and water feature builder.